A fracture can also be called a broken bone, a cracked bone, or a chipped bone.
A bone may be completely fractured where the break/crack is all the way through the bone creating two separate pieces. Or it can be partially fractured where the break or crack is there, but does not go all the way through the bone keeping it in one piece.
Fractures are caused by:
- A serious fall or accident (eg. a fall from height or a collision in sports) where the impact force is greater than the strength of the bone
- A recent fall or trauma if you have osteoporosis (bone density is reduced and the amount of force required to fracture a bone is much less with osteoporosis and so can occur with minimal impact)
- Repeated loading over a longer peroid of time. These are known as Stress fractures
- Downward pressure in the spine in people with osteoporosis may cause Wedge fractures
- Severe ligament sprains that can pull away a small piece of the bone. This is known as an Avulsion fracture
Many fractures are very painful and may prevent you from moving or putting pressure through the injured area.
However if you have broken a bone you may:
- Hear or feel a snapping when the injury occurred
- Experience severe swelling, tenderness and pain around the injured area
- Notice immediate and extensive bruising in and round the injured area
- See a visible deformity where an area or bone looks out of place
- Feel pain when you touch, put pressure through or move the injured area
- Pain may also be felt with vibrations, such as being in the car on a rough road or speed bump
- In severe breaks, the broken bone may be poking through the skin
If you suspect any of the above symptoms or think you have a fracture you should restrict movement of the area and seek urgent medical attention.
- If you think you may have broken your toe or finger, you can go to a minor injury unit or urgent care centre.
- Go to your nearest A&E for a broken wrist, arm or leg. Call 999 for an ambulance if the injury to the leg seems severe or you're not able to get to A&E quickly.
- Always call 999 for very severe suspected breaks, such as a broken neck or back or when the bone is protruding out of the skin.